How to Observe 


(Children’s Book 
Week 


November 8th to 14th, 1925 


After all- there is nothing 
like A GOOD BOOK! 


Brusake 


suggestions for (ommunities 
PNY 


Book WEEK 
is held under the auspices 
of the 
Natrona AssoctaTION oF Book PuBLIsHERS 


25 WEsT 33RD StreET, New York 


oAn dea. 


THE First CONFERENCE 


E ARLY in September one of the booksellers wrote 
notes to prominent men and women of the 
city, who were interested in children’s reading, 
mentioning the dates of Book Week, and asking 
them to attend a conference at his store to discuss 
plans for a community celebration of the Week. 
One of the people to whom he wrote was the chair- 
man of the ministers’ association, others included 
the superintendent of schools, a teacher who was 
very active in the work of local parent-teacher as- 
sociations, the merchandise manager of a depart- 
ment store who was a member of the board of the 
Association of Commerce, the chairman of the li- 
terature division of the women’s club, a newspaper 
editor, and the Boy Scout executive. All the book- 
sellers of the city were invited, and the head of 
the library. 


This group decided at the first conference that 
each member would plan and promote a Book 
Week feature for the organization with which he 
was most closely in touch, arousing the interest of 
members in the Week and planning publicity for 
their contribution to the community celebration. 
In addition, they decided that one big feature must 
be planned, which would bring the important sub- 
ject of boys’ and girls’ reading to the attention of 
every home and every individual in the town. A 
small committee of three members was appointed 
to devise a program for this. 


THEATER’S COOPERATION 


This committee called upon the manager of the 
largest motion picture theater and asked him to 
arrange to show during Book Week, a film made 
from a famous children’s book. With the assist- 
ance of the superintendent of schools, the com- 
mittee planned a pageant of book characters to be 
given by school children at the theater, at per- 
formances on the last three days of the Week. 
Each grade school and high school in the city con- 
tributed a tableau representing a book, and the 
theater audiences voted to determine which school 
presented the most effective tableau. 

The bookseller who had formed the Book Week 
Committee gave $20 worth of books to the library 


<e- 


Observance of F 


4400 
COMMUNITIES 


celebrated the Week last year. Was 


your town among them? The obser- 
vance described below contains sug- 
gestions for organizing a program for 
the Week in your city. 


of the school which won first prize, and $10 worth 
of books to the one which won second prize. 

This feature brought the Week a great deal of 
newspaper publicity. “The theater issued handbills 
announcing the special program. One of the de- 
partment stores had a window display of the books 
which were portrayed in the pageant. “The books 
which the tableaux represented were talked about 
everywhere. The parents of the school children 
became interested in their rivalry for the prizes, 
and everybody in town knew it was Book Week. 


MANY ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDED 


Another contest was undertaken by a local news- 
paper, which offered book prizes for the best re- 
view of a children’s book, submitted by a boy or 
girl under 14. The teachers urged the children 
to compete and a large number of reviews were 
written. The best of them were published in the 
paper. 

The public library held “open house” during 
Book Week. Camp Fire Girls and Girl Scouts 
acted as ushers for the visitors. A model library for 
a boy and a model library for a girl were shown, 
with book-cases, table and chairs loaned by a 
furniture store. “The children’s librarian had also 
arranged special story hours for the younger chil- 
dren during the Week. 

A well-known authority on children’s books and 
reading addressed the woman’s club and one of 
the bookstores arranged a very attractive exhibit 
of children’s books in the lobby of the club house. 

Another bookstore held a reception for a visiting 
author, at which several club women acted as 


00k Week 


hostesses. A department store had an exhibit of 
orginal book illustrations and a display showing 
the process of book-making, from manuscript to 
finished volume. 

At the meetings of the two men’s luncheon 
clubs, Boy Scouts gave talks on “Books My Dad 
and I Have Enjoyed Reading Together.” At the 
business women’s City Club and at meetings of the 
parent-teacher associations there were talks on 
“My Boys’ and Girls’ Favorite Books,” and also 
addresses by librarians, recommending new books 
suitable for Christmas gifts to boys and girls. 

At one school parents were invited to attend an 
exhibit of books bound by the pupils in the art 
classes and one of the large private schools had an 
exhibit of book posters and book-plates designed 
by the children. 

The local radio, station arranged to broadcast 
two talks on children’s reading during the Week, 
one given by the superintendent of schools and one 
by a bookseller. 

‘The churches also participated in Book Week, 
several ministers devoting sermons to the import- 
ance of children’s reading and publishing lists of 
boys’ and girls’ books in their church bulletins. 
Book posters were displayed in the Sunday Schools. 

Through editorials and news-stories the news- 
papers helped greatly to coordinate the varied ac- 
tivities of the Week and make them have con- 
structive value in the community life. A regular 
weekly column, “Books for Boys and Girls,” 
edited by the children’s librarian, was established 
in one of the newspapers. 


Other features which help to make Book Week a success: 


an Earn-a-Book campaign. See circular “Club Pro- 
gram Suggestions,” for details of organization. 
Recommended by General Federation of Women’s 


Clubs. 


an essay contest for school children, “What I Saw 
in a Local Bookstore,” or other essays mentioning 
books that the child likes and giving reasons for 
his interest. Bookstores give prizes, newspapers 
print best essays. 


distribution of book lists to all school children by 
Rotary Club, library, women’s club or bookstores. 


book talks by librarians and authors in all school 
assembly meetings. 


ne a a LP 


SIGNIFICANCE OF Book WEEK 


Ga: Book WEEK was originated 
in 1919 by the American Booksellers 
Association, the American Library Associa- 
tion, the Boy Scouts of America, and associa- 
ted publishers. It has become, in six years, a 
national annual campaign which thousands of 
communities use to stimulate interest in boys’ 
and girls’ books. ‘Throughout the year Book 
Week inspires a growing consciousness of the 
importance of children’s books, of their in- 
fluence in character development and in the 
building of citizenship, and of the contribu- 
tion they can make to the happiness of the 
individual throughout life. 


ae 


CHILDREN’S BooK WEEK 
PUBLICITY MATERIAL 


(Send requests to National Association of Book 
Publishers, 25 West 33rd Street, New York.) 


Poster, designed by Jon Brubaker, pictured on 
cover of this folder. Printed in eight colors. 
Pree. 


Card miniatures of poster in color, $1.00 per 100. 


Poster, designed by Jessie Willcox Smith. ‘More 
Books in the Home.” Printed in four colors. 
Free. 


Card miniatures of Jessie Willcox Smith poster, in 
color, $.75 per 100. 


Motion picture slide, either poster design, with im-_ 
print, $.50. Specify design wanted. 


Club Program Suggestions for Book Week, circular 
compiled by General Federation of Women’s 
Clubs, Literature Division. Free. 


Book Projects, circular compiled for schools by 
National Congress of Parents and Teachers, 
Committee on Children’s Reading. Free. 


Magazine Articles on Children’s Reading, a list of 
recent articles. Free. 


Book Films, a selection made by the National 
Board of Review of Motion Pictures, 70 Fifth 
Avenue, New York. Free. 


3 0112 115506435 


CHILDREN’S READING 


Notes from a talk broadcasted August Sth, 
from Station WEAF, New York, by Miss 
Anne Carroll Moore, Supervisor of Work 
With Children, New York Public Library. 


Ne THE BEST TEACHING is done un- 
consciously. Too frequently in books 
about children’s reading, there is a spirit of 
teaching instead of the spirit of play. 


‘Perhaps the first thing necessary for a 
grown-up who wants to encourage a love of 
reading in children is that he rid himself of 
the idea of teaching boys and girls to enjoy 
books. The child’s moods should be re- 
spected, in all our endeavors to bring chil- 
dren and books into natural and intimate 
association. Sometimes a child will enjoy 
an imaginative book, at other times he will 
long for a more realistic type of story, Let 
children make different kinds of book 
friends. 


‘““The supreme test of a child’s book is: has 
this book come out of a rich, full mind, with 
a true understanding of childhood? Or is it 
merely the best that can be done by a medi- 
ocre person? Far too many children’s books 
have been written out of empty minds. 


“Children do not want to be bored by 
having books forced upon them just because 
some grown-up has liked those books. “They 
want to be allowed to find things for them- - 
selves, to exercise their own choice.” 


*K * *K 


Miss Moore says that a radio talk is suc- 
cessful in proportion to the naturalness and 
informality of the speaker. “The require- 
ments of her experience are: 

1.—A good voice for transmission. 

2.—Something definitely interesting and 

arresting to say about the book or 
books chosen for the talk. 


Theory and generalities are not effective. 
The talk must begin and end in a way to 
hold the audience. 


